When Tim Ingold describes making as a process of correspondence rather than control, I started to realise that much of what we call \u201cmedia theory\u201d feels like a craft itself. In the lecture, Dr Schandorf said that theory is \u201csomething we do,\u201d not something we memorise, and that has stayed with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more I engage with these ideas, the more I see parallels between theorising and making: both involve learning through doing, responding, and revising. This post explores media theory as a craft-based practice, a form of making knowledge rather than just writing about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Media Theory as Process, Not Product<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingold\u2019s Making reminds us that to understand how something comes into being, we must attend to the process rather than the finished object. That idea reshapes how I read theory, not as a list of answers but as a movement of thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each reading, discussion, or post in MDIA 300 feels like a thread woven into a collective fabric. You can\u2019t test theory the way you test memory; you can only practice it, by writing, dialoguing, and iterating through others\u2019 ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This helps explain why there are no exams in this class: the learning happens through the act of doing media theory, not memorizing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Mediation as Relation, Not Object<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The recurring concept of mediation, from McLuhan to Bolter & Grusin, now feels less like a property of technology and more like a way of relating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Media aren\u2019t just tools or devices; they\u2019re relationships that shape meaning. Whether it\u2019s a TikTok feed or a physical book, each mediates the world differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Bolter and Grusin talk about remediation, new media refashioning old forms, they echo Ingold\u2019s notion of correspondence. Mediation, then, is a conversation, not a command. This class\u2019s use of blogs, wikis, and Teams channels mirrors that idea: each tool mediates how we learn and think together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Writing as Material Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Schandorf often says that writing is thinking, and I\u2019m finally starting to see why. Writing theory isn\u2019t about polishing conclusions, it\u2019s about shaping ideas in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like clay, words have texture they resist, reshape, and sometimes collapse before reforming into coherence. The process of writing itself becomes a site of discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So perhaps clarity in this course doesn\u2019t mean perfection, it means honesty. It\u2019s the moment when your readers can see you working through the material, thinking aloud on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Collaboration as Media Ecology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another revelation in MDIA 300 is how inherently collaborative theory is. Blog comments, shared lecture notes, and collaborative presentations aren\u2019t side work, they are the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each contribution is a form of mediation within a living media ecology. McLuhans idea that \u201cthe medium is the message\u201d feels newly relevant here: our medium (Teams, Blogs, Wiki) is the structure of our collective knowledge-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ingold\u2019s craftsman doesn\u2019t work alone, and neither do we. Each comment or co-authored post is part of an ecosystem where ideas grow through interaction, not isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Theoretical Clarity as Ethical Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Schandorf\u2019s idea that clarity is not about correctness but about communication struck me hard. To be clear is to be responsible, it\u2019s about writing in a way that invites others in rather than keeping them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If theory is a social practice, clarity becomes an ethical one. It\u2019s a gesture of care toward your audience, recognizing that your words can either connect or exclude. Just as Ingold\u2019s maker listens to their materials, a good theorist listens to their readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. So what?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m offering a simple argument: media theory is a craft. It\u2019s not just a way to describe media, it is a form of mediation itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By treating theory as something we make together, we can appreciate it not as abstract jargon but as a living, evolving practice that connects people, tools, and ideas. That\u2019s why MDIA 300 doesn\u2019t feel like a typical class; it feels like an ongoing studio where thinking is material and meaning is handmade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s Keep the Conversation Going<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Author:<\/strong> Meha Gupta When Tim Ingold describes making as a process of correspondence rather than control, I started to realise that much of what we call \u201cmedia theory\u201d feels like a craft itself. In the lecture, Dr Schandorf said that theory is \u201csomething we do,\u201d not something we memorise, and that has stayed with me. The more I … Continue reading Making as Thinking: Why Media Theory Feels Like Craft<\/span> \n
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Tags:<\/strong> media theory, mediation, making, Ingold, collaboration, clarity, MDIA300
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